Sydney tramway 'green lines'

[Brad Torr <roadgeek@my-deja.com>]

This is a repost - I posted this message to aus.rail a few days ago
using my ISP's news server, but it appears as though it wasn't
propogated past there (grrr), so some of you may have seen this twice.

======

I'm interested in the old Sydney tramways in general, but my particular
interest is the history of the 'Green Lines' - the four lines that went
down
City Road and over Newtown Bridge - Tempe, Earlwood, Dulwich Hill and
Canterbury. My interest in these lines were sparked in my childhood
because
my grandparents grew up on these lines, and my grandma (well into her
seventies now) still regales me with stories of all her favourite
conductors
and how the toastracks were hell in rainy weather and how, during
wartime
rationing, she'd have to hang onto the running board for dear life on
her
way to work in an army uniform factory).....

I've been trying to do some reading on these lines (but haven't found
much -
I've seen books for the City Lines, the Western Lines, the North Shore
Lines, the Watsons Bay Line - but not the Green Lines, ugh!) but I have
some
questions which, if they could be kindly answered in a non-anal
retentive
fashion by the esteemed and learned members of this newsgroup, would
lead me
to a greater level of contentment, enlightenment and serenity in my
life.

* Earlwood was one green ball; Dulwich Hill was two green balls;
Canterbury
was three green diamonds - what symbol did Tempe have on its desto
rolls?

* A strange thing about the Dulwich Hill terminus - it seems to have
just
ended at the western end of Marrickville Road at the intersection with
Canterbury Road - wouldn't it have made sense for a junction to have
been
built at the intersection so Dulwich Hill trams could continue onto
Canterbury, giving Canterbury to City trams two possible routes (one via
Enmore, one via Marrickville)? This situation still exists today, in
the way
the 426 Dulwich Hill bus line ends at the intersection...

* The Canterbury three green diamonds line - did it terminate on
Canterbury
Road opposite the railway station entrance, or did it swing right into
Broughton Street?

* When did the lines sadly close? My grandmother says around 1958, but
she
can't be sure.

Thanks for any answers,
Bradley.




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